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Charge carrier transport in 4H-SiC p-i-n-structures at high frequency electric field; development of SiC p-i-n diode for microwave applications

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Silicon carbide is considered as a very promising material for fabrication of high power and high frequency semiconductor devices. Recently, greatest progress has taken place in the areas of SiC devices for low frequency power converters and microwave power generation. Currently, SiC transistors are the most powerful solid-state microwave sources at frequencies below 10 GHz. SiC p-i-n diodes for microwave applications are needed to match the power production capacity of these transistors, and create solid-state microwave modules. Taking into account the unique basic properties of SiC, especially, the excellent thermal conductivity and the high electric breakdown field, it may be anticipated that the SiC p-i-n diodes have to be at least 10 times more powerful than Si diodes at the same switching rate. Nevertheless, SiC p-i-n diodes for microwave applications were not demonstrated up to now. This may be explained (1) by technological obstacles; and (2) by the lack of knowledge about charge carrier transport in SiC needed for SiC p-i-n diode design. Recently, participants of this Project Proposal resolved the technological problems. 4H-SiC microwave diode device processing was developed. It was proved by demonstration of the first SiC IMPATT diode operating at frequency of 10 GHz. This technological breakthrough paved the way to investigate the carrier transport in 4H-SiC p-i-n structures at high frequency electric field and to demonstrate microwave operation of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes for the first time.
To meet this goal a series of specific objectives shall be addressed:
- 4H-SiC epitaxial layers up to 6 microns in thick, having a donor concentration (1-10)(1015cm-3, and p-i-n structures with breakdown voltage up to 1000 V will be grown by sublimation sandwich method;
- carrier mobility, minority carrier lifetime, carrier diffusion length, parameters of deep levels in grown 4H-SiC epitaxial layers and structures will be measured;
- 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes for microwave application will be designed, fabricated and packaged;
- the operation of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes as microwave switching devices and current controlled resistors will be demonstrated;
- microwave parameters of 4H-SiC p-i-n structures (dielectric relaxation frequency, effective recombination lifetime, diode base conductivity and microwave signal distortion depending on the frequency) will be measured and analysed to create the model of carrier transport in 4H-SiC p-i-n structures at high frequency electric field and, finally, to make the well-grounded conclusion about SiC performance for fabrication of microwave p-i-n diodes.

The teams involved in the Project:
- Institute of Applied Physics, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Team leader: Dr R. Kakanakov. Main responsibilities: Project co-ordinator, 4H-SiC p-i-n diode device processing;
- Microelectronics Research Group, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Crete, Greece. Team leader: Dr M. Lagadas. Main responsibilities: numerical simulation; 4H-SiC p-i-n diode device processing; low power microwave measurements;
- Laboratory of Physics of Semiconductor Devises, Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Team leader: K.V. Vassilevski. Main responsibilities: growth of 4H-SiC epitaxial structures by sublimation sandwich method; material characterisation; low frequency measurements;
- Technological Department, State Research Institute "Orion", Kiev, Ukraine. Team leader: Dr M.S. Boltovets. Main responsibility: numerical simulation; pulsed electrical measurements; low power microwave measurements;
- Laboratory of Semiconductor Devices, Closed Joint Stock Company "Svetlana-Electronpribor", St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Team leader: Dr A.V. Kirillov. Main responsibilities: diode packaging; high power microwave measurements.



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Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
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St.Peterburg Blvd 59
Plovdiv
Bulgarien

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